High school lacrosse season is upon us once again, with the usual suspects — and a few rising teams — headlining the boys and girls fields.
For the Class 5A boys, 2017 state runner-up Regis Jesuit is clearly the favorite, as coach Jim Soran’s squad is led by a bevy of Division I commits in junior midfielder Reed Babcock (DU), junior attack Jake Taylor (Notre Dame), junior midfielder Joe Kassal (Air Force), senior long stick Charlie Maly (Drexel), senior defender Dominic Mata (Utah) and senior attack Anders Erickson (Furman).
But right on the Raiders’ tails will be defending champion Cherry Creek, as despite a new head coach and the graduation of eight starters from last season, senior attack Henry Savage, senior goalie Knox Dent (Army) and senior midfielder Jimmy Erickson (Utah) will have the Bruins in contention.
Other semifinalists from last year, Arapahoe and Kent Denver, will also be strong again — but Bruins coach Matt Bocklet noted Columbine, led by senior goalie Gavin Beilman (Westminster College) and senior midfielder Nick Darrow (Mercer), is ready to break into the top tier.
“They have a bunch of seniors who have all been varsity players for three or four years, so I would expect to see them in the top three or four teams in the state throughout the season,” Bocklet said. “They’re going to surprise some people.”
For the 4A boys, two-time defending champion Valor Christian is the frontrunner along with Dawson School. The Eagles return firepower such as senior midfielder Easton Cecil (Utah), junior attack Montana McLaughlin (Marquette) and junior attack Lance Tillman (North Carolina), while the Mustangs bring back leading the state’s leading scorer in senior attack Gavyn Pure.
“With Dawson, it’s been a tremendous rivalry between the two of us — they’ve beaten us each of the last two years in the regular season, and we’ve gotten them back in the championship game,” Valor Christian coach John Grant Jr. said. “Obviously we’re not looking past anyone else, but it seems like we’re on another track to meet again.”
Grant acknowledged that while the Eagles have an abundance of offensive talent, cultivating the program’s defense has been more of a challenge. Of the approximately 60 players who tried out this year, only five of them entered high school as actual defenders.
“Basically, I’m throwing StringKing long sticks into people’s hands who have good hands and quick feet,” Grant said. “It’s teaching defense to a lot of people who have never played it before, and that’s what we’ve done since I’ve been here.”
Meanwhile, on the girls side, Colorado Academy and Cherry Creek have played in the title game three years running. The Mustangs won all of those tilts, something Bruins coach Bailey Zerr said is eating at her team.
“We’re 95 percent there — it’s just that last five percent that we’ve failed to convert on,” Zerr said. “Our girls are definitely hungry for it — they’re tired of losing in the state championship — and this year our senior leadership is pretty incredible to take us there.”
That leadership includes senior midfielder Pearl Schwartz (CU), senior goalie Megan Patrick (George Washington) and senior midfielder Hali Sibilia (American), in addition to a pair of Oregon-bound juniors in Emma White and Katherine Collins.
And while Colorado Academy has the talent for a four-peat behind the return of last season’s leading scorer, senior midfielder Lauren Russell, other girls programs are eager to displace the power held by the state’s top two teams.
“I truly believe the coaches in place at the other top high schools — Chaparral, East, Columbine, Mullen, Valor — are doing everything they can to grow the girls game here, and because of that, we’re not so caught up in the name of Creek or C.A. and the brand they’ve created,” Arapahoe coach Brianna Huynh explained.
“We’re focused on getting Colorado as a whole to that higher level. So if the rest of the eight in the top 10 can continue to grow the game, that’s really what’s going to overcome those two and get someone else’s name on that championship.”
After a semifinal showing in 2017, the Warriors are capable of doing that seeing as they return 18 letterwinners, including senior attack Meg Hanson, senior midfielder Lizzie Pierpont, sophomore midfielder Skylar Sanford and senior midfielder Liria Capdevila.
The regular season for both the girls and boys officially begins on March 8.
